Page "Lisa the Vegetarian" Paragraph 21

Reviewers of the episode have also praised it for its character development.

Todd Gilchrist of IGN said he thinks the key to The Simpsons < nowiki >'</ nowiki > longevity is its " sentimental but not gooey " approach to storytelling and character development.

He took " Lisa the Vegetarian " as an example and said: " Lisa sabotages Homer's barbecue, which results in an unceremonious death for his prize pig.

But rather than simply punctuating the episode with an iconic image of the porker soaring through the air, the writers actually develop a story into which the joke fits.

The comedic effect is actually intensified because we care about the characters, are invested in the story, and primed for a great gag.

" The Niagara Gazette < nowiki >'</ nowiki > s Phil Dzikiy said that " the character development and storytelling is perfect ", noting that the episode was " equally hilarious, touching and satirical ".